Sally Hepworth

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the U.K., and Canada, where she worked in event management and Human Resources. She is the author of Love Like The French, published by Random House Germany in February 2014. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and two children.

Her new novel is The Secrets of Midwives.

Last month I asked Hepworth about what she was reading. Her reply:

The last book I read was The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve. This is a gripping novel about a woman who wakes to the news that a plane piloted by her husband has crashed, killing him and 103 passengers. An investigation into the crash ensues, forcing Kathryn into an investigation of her own, into her husband of fifteen years, a man she’d thought she known.

This book contains all the elements that I look for in fiction: mystery, romance, and surprises. The characters are well-drawn and Shreve’s language is emotive, though I will admit some of the imagery of the plane crash will take a while to be wiped from my mind. The structure—flipping back and forth in time—allows the backstory to be filled in in a way that helps unravel the mystery. The story continues to develop and by the end, I was positively unable to put the book down until its satisfying conclusion.

Right now I’m reading Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf, a novel about a social worker (and mother of three) who makes a tragic mistake that (according to public opinion) puts her alongside the parents she removes children from. It is also about a ten year old girl who suddenly finds herself alone in the world. When the lives of the two women collide –which hasn’t happened as of page 120—I’m told they will be able to help each other through their respective tragedies in unexpected ways.

So far, I’m intrigued. I’m only half way through, but this was one of those books that had me at ‘Hello.’

Visit Sally Hepworth's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: The Secrets of Midwives.

My Book, The Movie: The Secrets of Midwives.

--Marshal Zeringue